Welcome to Raccoon City
by DarkWingedSerpant
Summary: After the sudden death of her brother Alice and her father had taken resolve to moving around America. With the pressure of intense training, losing her only sibling and being unabled to settle in one place at a time she is finding it hard to have the will to live on. Could shifting into the small town of Raccoon City change that fate, or will it only make it come sooner?
1. Chapter 1

_Would appreciate any criticism, but I must apologise if there are any spelling and punctuation errors for I lack any applications that have spell check. _

_Yadda Yadda_

_Any ideas are welcome._

_Sorry that I haven't updated the other stories, I swapped laptops and lost all the chapters. Plus school, work and cadets has begun so...little time to write D:_

_Excuses, excuses.  
_

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**C****hapter 1**

Toned legs casually rested on the old, worn out dashboard of the rented moving van. The black skate shoes with tucked in laces gently swayed from left to right and tapped in rhythm with the music crackling out of the vehicles pathetic radio system, and tight, well-fitting jeans moulded into the shape of her long legs, but felt far too warm from being hit by the rays of sunlight that -somehow- creeped through the dirty windscreen. The owner of those toned and tanned limbs sat in silence in the passenger seat beside the driver, a similar figure that could only be her father, who regrettably ignored the scowl on his daughters face that had been plastered on since the start of the daunting two day trip.

The dirty blonde haired girl stared out the passenger-side door, looking past the objects flying by, not fully registering where she was. She maintained this position throughout most of the day as she ignored the forced questions coming from her only immediate family member still walking among the Earth.

Alice was at the age of sixteen so her father had decided to resolve this kind of behaviour as one of a typical teenager- stubborness, at times plain ignorance and far less tolerance than she once had. She was well aware of how she was acting right now, it was childish and it was unneccessary to treat her father this way but right now she felt that this is an appropriate way to react to the situation.

"Alice?" His deep voice was forgein to her after only listening to the soft, crackling music from the radio for so long.

She was tempted to ignore him like all the other times and kept her gaze outside, but deep inside her she was battling to reply to him, though she didn't want to give him the satisfaction of doing so. He turned her world upside down for the last time and there was no way she was going to pretend to be alright about it.

Glancing away from the road he quickly looked to his right to see her still staring. Her elbow nestled her head where the window once was and the wind gently blew her shoulder length hair across her face. The once welcoming air eventually turned murky and humid hours ago but it was still marginally better than the poor excuse of air-conditioning in this piece of crap.

Removing one hand from the steering wheel he brought it up to his face and massaged the back of his neck to relieve the building tension.

Moving from one town to another, from one country to another other year after year was obviously not a welcoming experience he must admit, but it was an inevitable part of life if they wished to keep living on a high income and staying with the dream job he worked so hard for. Not to mention it would remind them too well of the life they were running away from if they settled down.

The man was a long serving employee of the Umbrella Corporation, he never cared to boast about his occupation to anyone, even if he could, but previously being head of security for various standing secret facilities placed around Russia and now America is not something he wished to throw away to keep Alice permanently happy, even if her glares were getting unnerving.

He wasn't sure if it was the constant moving and shifting that got Alice always feeling this way, even before her brother took his own life on that unforgettable night, or if it was the intense training that he put her through since she was a young kid that turned her into this emotionless being- maybe it was the combination of both. He thought that this was something she would want since she never spoke against it. He hoped that she would one day take his place to serve and protect others with her life, he was sure this would happen, but with how things were going now it started to worry him.

The man took in a deep breath and let it all out in a huff after the lack of response from her, "Look, I know you hate having to constantly move around, Alice," She clenched her jaw and rolled her eyes as she readied herself for yet another speech from her father about the unavoidable subject, "And I know you hate it when I give you any form of lecture about anything," She had to snort quietly at being caught out on that one but swiftly kept her face clean of any emotion, "But I promise you, this could very well be the last time we would have to move again."

Alice snarled and shook her head at his words. He couldn't honestly believe the words coming from his own mouth, could he?

"And how many times have I heard that?" She snapped. The droning of the prehistoric music was now starting to get on her last nerves as she barely kept herself stable, "You've been making that promise for the last four years; that we would finally stay in one place for more than _six months_. But you know what? You need to stop running, Dad, you know it and I know it. Nothing on this stupid, fucked up planet is going to change what happened..." Clenching her jaw and taking in a deep breath, in attempt to settle herself, she let out her last words in defeat, "I don't want to hear this shit anymore, okay? Don't make promises to me if you can't even keep one."

It's been so long since she'd been able to have an outburst. She always imagined it to be like having a weight of troubles being lifted off her shoulders, but now she felt even worse than before. To prevent things from continuing to spiral downwards she decided to keep her mouth shut and begrudgingly returned listening to the song she never thought would have made past production. Her father too had swallowed down his own reply and forced himself to keep quiet as he accepted what she had said, and unconsciously thought over her words for the next hours to come.

Without her knowing it they had suddenly slowed to a stop in a short, paved driveway. Alice was at first confused about what was going on- brows furrowed together as she watched her father in the corner of her eye heave on the hand brake and unbuckle his seatbelt- that was until she realised that this place was to be her new home. She sat still as he rolled up the back door of the van and heard the scraping of boxes being dragged along the floor to the edge of the bed. She took her time to take her legs off the dashboard, sore from being in the same position for so long.

After taking in a deep breath of air and exhaling it all in a huff she took the opportunity to sneak a peek at the place around her. Craning her head below the windscreen and out the side windows she could see that the new house and neighbouring structures together looked like a stereotypical suburban area. It was much more extravagant than most that they've lived in despite what high income her father was earning, but she guessed long ago that he wanted to live a seemingly normal life as possible, if that made any sense. The place was much more vibrant than she first imagine, actually, strangely she always pictured the new home to be one fit for a crack dealer...

Stepping out of the vehicle, feeling the wave of heat hit her like a tonne of bricks, she pushed close the horrible creaking door and looked up at the two storey structure- not sure what she was feeling, whether it was content or nonchalance. Surveying the property around her she started to ease up a bit more, whether she wanted to admit it or not this place felt more at home than anywhere she had been to so far, even her latest home back in Russia wasn't as beautiful as the one here.

In the distance she could hear the wailings of neighbouring kids as they slipped and slid along the tarp of detergent and water. Peeking around the van and her father busily stacking up the boxes she could see them as they unleashed large water pistols on each other and bombing water balloons over at unsuspecting adults attending their gardens across the street- who welcomed the refreshing liquid under the boiling sun. Alice smirked at the sight before her and was itching to join them in their ambush, no matter how childish it would make her look.

Deciding that this side of the street looked more than welcoming to her she walked out further to the end of the driveway, still scanning the bright and appealing houses with picture perfect gardens in front of her, and turned the other way to face her next lot of neighbours. The sight was almost identical. Hoses and sprinklers were out for the kids in their colourful bathers to enjoy themselves as the heat wave shook the city, even the adults were braving it to keep watch or to get through the daily chores.

As she scanned over the small crowds of kids her eyes rested on one particular sight before her, a sight she didn't really expect to see on her own street: a close group of teenagers, taking advantage of the portable pool filled to the brim with sparkling, clear blue water. The blue and white medium-sized pool held them as they played around- laughing and screeching- blending in with the other kids as they created their own battle cries and echoing splashing noises.

One by one she looked them over, unconsciously thinking that they would make the best of friends if she could ever meet up with them. They were a mix of boys and girls, that was all she could make out from this distance, but they all looked roughly the same age as her or maybe even older.

She blushed as she met eyes with one of the boy's and a spark of recognition erupted inside of her. Those dark eyes, that short and unkempt hair and smooth, tanned skin were so familiar yet she couldn't remember his name or where she knew him from. But the second their gazes met the boy slipped in the water and stayed still behind cover before her brain could register what happened, she didn't know if it was accidental or not but it brought a smile to her face never-the-less.

After the lack of memory of his name she was getting too tired to care any more and decided to turn away, until yet another sight made her stand still like a deer caught in the headlights. A young redhead sat alone, sunbathing in a bright red bikini on a lounge beside the pool, completely oblivious to the renovation taking place down the street. Unknowingly Alice stared longingly at the girl before her, her heart pounded in her chest as she slowly scanned her body from head to toe as the redhead gently lathered a thin layer of sunblock on her flawless skin. In the corner of her eye she watched as the same boy stepped out of the pool, taking a few paces back. Alice smirked as she watched him take a daring run and jump back inside. After impact, the once relaxed redhead yelped out at the sudden cold of water hitting her and screamed out the boy's name: Carlos.

That name was the last piece of the puzzle that she needed, she now knew who this familiar figure was. In her life she had only met one boy with the name Carlos- Carlos Olivera- back in Perrysburg, Ohio where she enrolled into the Naval Sea Cadet Corps. Her father had given her and Sergey that idea once they turned twelve; since discipline was an ever so slight problem back then, and not to mention getting along with others was not something on Alices' to do list. Let's just say Alice wasn't much of a social person back then and leave it at that. He took it as the perfect time to nudge them into the hands of more annoying adults wrapped in uniform, to be moulded into well-disciplined child soldiers. Carlos was one of the new recruits that enrolled the same day they did, both being the bottom of the pack they seemed to hit it off almost straight away.

She lost contact with him all those years ago, it must have been four years now that they last spoke. But still, even after seeing him with her own eyes, she thought it would be too much of a coincidence if this was the same boy she left behind so long ago.

Stopping herself from walking blindly over the street towards him or waving her arms in the air like a maniac to get his attention she payed close attention to the rumbling noise behind her, the other moving van had finally pulled up. The horn was blared as she turn away to see the other filthy vehicle on the curb as it settled itself half on the road and half on the lush green front lawn, she almost cringed at the sight but remembered that she was most likely going to leave this place soon anyway.

The two middle-aged men were already out of their vehicle and acted like life long professionals as they wasted no time moving things around. They started with the boxes which she eventually started helping with, since most of it was her stuff anyway and left her father to deal with the kitchen appliances. One by one they managed to get them out without any dramas and stacked them side by side into the kitchen at the end of the hall, while now and then Alice would send a glimpse back at the group of teenagers having the time of their lives while she slaved around, sweating, as she carried heavy boxes in the unrelenting heat... Once the small stuff was handled with she left the rest for the renovators to work with, since they both were getting paid for the hard labour anyway. Right now she had no sympathy for them in this heat. She was tempted to run over to pool of ice-cold water that silently beckoned her to jump in and stay 'til the day was over, but for now she would have bite her lip and force herself through it, as always.

Her father watched as Alice kept her attention over to the teenagers once she stepped away from the hard-working renovators, her back to him and hands stuffed in jean pockets. A smile managed to creep on his face as he heard a snicker escape her lips yet again at the small war raging only two houses away. Her laugh was a rare sound to his ears, and he gladly took it as a sign that things would finally turn out better for them. Taking this opportunity he walked away from his seemingly endless supply of boxes, making sure his steps were heavy to make his presence known early, and clasped a hand on her firm shoulder to bring her into a tight embrace as they looked over at the oblivious teenagers.

She flinched but relaxed slightly under his grasp as he whispered in a low voice.

"Welcome to Raccoon City."

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_Any review is welcome, even if it's to say 'Hi'. _

_I'll bribe you with a shout out? _

_Okay, no bribing... _

_:D_


	2. Chapter 2

_:O Hi guys_

_Thank you Danni8x10, T-Virus Within, StraightJacket xD and poynton90 for reviewing. Nice to know that people are reading my stuff._

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Raccoon City High, home of the high ranking Junior Lakers basketball team. Their captain, the cocky yet charming Luther West, was pushing the last of his obedient players up and down the court to get through the seemingly never-ending final drill of the evening. Blue and gold jerseys flew from left to right along the polished, wooden floor as no player had the chance to stop and catch their breath, the faces of his minions were scarlet red and covered in a layer of sweat as he forced them to fight through intense drills, only to stop when the bell would ring to signal the end of the day. Luther stood on the sidelines with whistle in hand and arms crossed as he held a stern expression on his chiseled face. He stayed there shouting out commands and well deserving praises to encourage them further, also being there felt to be a better position to assess their performance instead of standing between the thick of them. It was his job to mould this team into an unforgettable group of unstoppable champions, but they were far from great in his books.

"Come on, guys!" Ears perked at the voice that echoed in the indoor gymnasium but still they kept their eyes focused on the various basketballs flying by. Huffing and puffing, sneakers pounding and squeeking on the floor, they ran to pass the ball to one another with brute force. They concentrated harder now after hearing their Captains' strong voice, "Push through it, there's only a few minutes left!"

Faint groans emitted from the stampeed of boys and girls but still they persisted on finishing until the final throw and prove their worth.

On the sidelines behind Luther sat his tight group of friends, too engrossed with eachother to really pay attention to what was happening on the court. But eyes did wander away occassionally to shamefully perv at those below. Together they huddled and talked about the latest rumours spreading around campus, giggling about what embarrassing stories that had been offered on the table or thinking of new ways to sneak into town and leg it to the shopping centre tomorrow without fail. It was like any school day for this lot of teenagers, all except for one. Carlos had settled himself one row below his close friends, away yet not too far from his companions, lost in his own world. He sat there with his shaven chin resting on his hand and stared at those running around furiously, but was too focused on what intruded his mind; the foreign girl who'd shown up back in his life uninvited, but still very much welcome, even if he didn't want to admit it to himself. He replayed the scene in his head over and over, embarrassed about how he reacted yet also thankful he didn't stare akwardly at her instead of the latter.

Without warning he felt another body land beside him, interrupting his thoughts momentarily. The scent lingered in the air and helped him identify who it was that collapsed next to him, it was Claire Redfield. The redhead ripped open her school bag in between her legs and dug her hand inside, bringing out a tempting carton of iced coffee that now hovered in front of his face. He could tell it was fresh out the fridge as water droplets ran down the sides, leaving a trail down her slender hand and landing on the dirty floor. Usually he would be forever grateful for this amazing gift but strangely he didn't have the urge for the refreshing liquid. Without breaking eye contact from the floor, where tiny drops lay motionless, or muttering a single word, he gently shook his head.

This scared Claire. Never has Carlos refused a free drink as cold as this on a freaksihly hot day like today. Settling the carton beside her on the bench next to her bag she shuffled closer to him, "What's up?"

Carlos shifted his gaze to look at the girl staring back at him and shamefully faced back to the basketball court, staring at Luthers' tense form as he watched the future champions dance under his will like puppets, "Nothing."

Claire rolled her eyes, "You've been like this all day, Carlos. Ever since that new girl moved in."

He sighed heavily at the mention of the girl and his head collapsed into his hands for comfort. After the brief lapse he changed his position to resting his forearms on his legs and eyes glued to the dirty floor, blatantly ignoring the redhead.

Reaching back into her bag she took out her own iced coffee and slowly peeled it open as she frowned at his lack of response. Claire wasn't sure if she should push him into this conversation, but if she didn't he would most likely stay like this; moping like a child, permanently. Thinking about how to approach the question she swiftly decided on musttering up all her dignity to straight out ask him and get it over with.

"Is she an ex-girlfriend I don't know about?" She kept her eyes on her drink, pretending to read the labels, regretting the accusation that may or may not be true. Claire always felt awkward when getting too personal with questions but she felt that getting him to talk would get the Carlos they all knew and loved back.

Slowly shaking his head a few times he replied in a quiet voice, almost a whisper, "No."

It was Claire's turn to sigh as she let go of her breath that she unknowingly held. Pinching the skin on the bridge of her nose gently she nudged the lump of depressing flesh beside her, fed up trying to beat around the bush, "Spill your shit, Olivera, or I'll be forced to beat it out of you."

Carlos' face contorted into a frown, he hated being put into this position. He knew Claire was trying to help him but he was in no mood to 'spill his shit' about anything, let alone his past relationship with the Russian beauty, "She's just an old friend, okay? Can we leave it at that?"

"No," she instantly replied with force, "She must have done something to make you feel this way," Her voice was louder than she intended it to be, but she didn't care too much at this moment in time, "Do I need to beat the crap out of her?"

That sentence alone managed to crack a smile on his face. He snorted lightly as an image was brought to his mind: Claire attempting to land a hit on Alice without getting her ass handed to her first.

Pleased that a smirk crept on his face she continued to question further, "So, I'll take that as a yes?" She asked smugly. A part of her wanted to let fists fly without asking questions but the more reasonable side hoped that he said no. Not that she thrived on causing pain on others, but the wellbeing of her friends were more important to her than her own.

With a lopsided grin he turned to her, "No. But if I said yes she would most likely knock you out with one hit anyway. Thanks for the offer though."

Claire raised her eyebrow and tilted her head to the side, "Is that so?" She mirrored his grin and pushed the conversation on further, "Have you seen her fight?" She didn't expect someone of that girls' build to do any damage, but then again she was covered in jeans and a loose shirt when she saw her from a distance.

"Oh, yeah," His smile stretched wider, feeling pride swell in his heart as he remembered those days. He gratefully accepted the iced coffee that she offered again and peeled the corner open, "I've seen her fight grown men, not in training situations either," Taking a swig of the smooth coffee blend he silently praised Claire as he felt the cool liquid run down his throat, "Hand to hand combat is her specialty, but she's pretty handy with weapons as well." The words seemed to slip out of his mouth before his brain could register what was going on.

Claire's smile faltered slightly and an eyebrow managed to slip up in a questioning expression. But before she could reply to that strange statement a music jingle was quietly projected out of the speakers placed high on the gym walls, meaning an announcement was to start. She noted how Luther still insisted the basketball players to continue with the drill, feeling sympathy towards those pushing it to their limits just to impress him. The pounding of each player's feet echoed as a woman's voice started speaking in a monotonous tone, "Claire Redfield to the front office, Claire Redfield."

Eyebrows now furrowed in confusion as she met eyes with Carlos, who had a similar expression and shrugged to say he had no clue either. Slowly ascending from the bench she shifted her drink into her left hand as she slid her bag over her right shoulder, "I guess I have to go. Remember, party this Friday. Your ass better be there, got it?"

Carlos smirked and his mood lifted at the mention of a party just two days away. The Redfields were famous for hosting the most wild and unexpecting parties that no one has walked away unaffected, by the events or drinks served during those hours. With a final fist bump and a nod of agreement from Carlos, she turned on her heels and started down the stairs leading down the benches, taking her sweet time.

Making her way to the end of the gymnasium as her friends shouted their choruses of goodbyes she felt confused as to why she was called to the front office. She shouldn't be in trouble, she kept her head down this week and didn't skip a single class- no student or equipment was harmed lately in the process- and it wouldn't have anything to involve her parents since Chris wasn't called up too. Different scenarios played through her mind but not one of them consisted of what she faced as she opened the wooden door with the black letters printed on the foggy glass.

"Ah, Claire," Her English teacher, Mrs Kovanovic, called out the instant she stepped through the door. Her hair tied up into the typical bun, wearing her usual formal shirt, skirt and high heels that always echoed down the empty halls.

Claire noted the few students that were either sitting in the chairs by the principals' office ready for an earfull of diappointment, or resting on the counter as they asked their needed questions about God knows what to the front lady. The TV placed high up in the corner was playing a DVD slideshow of a previous camp that students volunteered to go on, but there was no volume turned up as always, only images.

Before Claire could even blink, a tall figure stepped out from behind the English teacher, stopping to stand side by side with the older woman. Claire gaped at the sight before her. The dirty blonde haired girl, the one who unintentionally messed with Carlos and caused Claire to step in to clean up the mess, was here in front of her. Alice looked at Claire with a small, friendly smile on her face as she adjusted her bag hanging loosely on her shoulder into a more comfortable position. Claire always thought that the moment she would stand face to face with this girl she would outright be furious with her, maybe even be cheap and attack her unexpectantly. But now, seeing those bright blue eyes that made her heart flutter and those full lips that called out to be kissed right then and there changed all that within a moment. How Carlos could be mad at this girl without crawling back like a baby eluded her. Claire scolded herself as she realized those feelings bubbled up inside and betraying her, she bit her cheek and mentally slapped herself. Being this close to her Claire could see how toned she actually was, now taking back her previous statement in the gym that she could take her on in a real fight, even her height was daunting as she matched Kovanovic's in high heels.

Upon stopping in front of the two figures Mrs Kovanovic clasped a hand on Alice's shoulder. While smiling towards Claire she introduced the girl she never met, yet already knew too well, "Claire, this is Alice. She's origninally from Russia but has been transferred to America a few years ago," Alice raised her hand as a sort of wave as she heard her name, "Because of your identical timetable we felt that it would be appropriate for you to escort Miss Abernathy around Campus. But I must warn you, Miss Redfield," Her infamous nagging and scolding tone settled in once again, Claire had already settled herself in her own world whenever she was around her and nodded when she felt it was appropriate, "if I hear any complaints from the students or teachers again about your behaviour there will be severe consquences. Do you understand?"

With a fake salute towards the teacher she turned away and walked out the door, not caring if Alice was in tow behind her. But knowing her hide would be skinned if she left her behind, Claire stopped outside the office and leant on the wall beside the door as she waited for her to stumble out. Claire wasn't typically like that, to be rude and walk out on others like she owned the place, but seeing this strange girl caused a mix of emotions to surge through her body and leaving the room was the only solution she could find to fix that problem. After a few seconds Alice had made her way out of the front office door and stopped by the redhead expectantly.

Alice recognised the redhead before her, she could never forget that beautiful face or striking red hair. She was obviously startled the moment she caught sight of her, not knowing that she would ever meet her here, especially in this kind of circumstance. But thankfully the shock in her system prevented her to move and make a scene and ultimately humiliating her; instead her face instinctively went blank, but her eyes almost buldged out of their sockets in the process. With a quick shake of her head Alice was able to put on a rare smile and seem unnaffected by the redhead's presence, who she now knows as Claire.

"First stop," Claire's voice was a beautiful sound to her ears but she spoke far too loud in the empty hall. It reminded her too well of a certain Lieutenant who enjoyed picking on recruits that appeared weaker than the others, namely herself. Her body tensed as a natural instinct as memories flooded through her mind, she was only just able to stop herself standing at full attention and remained at ease. Claire noticed the change, instead of calling it out she looked straight into the blonde's eyes as she spoke the next words, noticing how the taller girl held her gaze with confidence.

"The gym."

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_I'm in a lazy mood and wanted to get this out already. I'm probably going to scold myself for publishing this as it is._


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